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Racist literature left on Cherry Hill lawns

The mayor and the local head of the NAACP condemned the literature supporting the Ku Klux Klan.

Racist literature supporting the KKK was left on residents' lawns in the Old Orchard section of Cherry Hill overnight. Cherry Hill Mayor Chuck Cahn declared, "This type of hatred and bigotry will not be tolerated in our town."
Racist literature supporting the KKK was left on residents' lawns in the Old Orchard section of Cherry Hill overnight. Cherry Hill Mayor Chuck Cahn declared, "This type of hatred and bigotry will not be tolerated in our town."Read moreFILE
    by Diane Mastrull
    Updated 
    Published 

Racist literature left on at least 30 front lawns in Cherry Hill overnight has elicited an angry response from the mayor and the area head of the NAACP, along with a call from police for the public's help in finding who is behind the hate-filled leafleting.

With rain in the forecast through Saturday morning, the printed messages were inside plastic bags and left at homes in the township's Old Orchard section, police said. They referenced the Loyal White Knights, a North Carolina group that considers itself an active chapter in the Ku Klux Klan.

"This type of hatred and bigotry will not be tolerated in our town," Mayor Chuck Cahn said in a statement issued by email Saturday afternoon. "We will investigate this matter until we identify the individuals responsible and will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law."

The flyers included a cartoon decrying efforts by "justice-minded white Americans" that gave African Americans the right to vote. It used the N-word a few times. The other, titled "Liberals Have No Tolerance For The Truth" and "Shocking Crime Facts That Could Save Your Life," was a litany of accusations linking black people to criminal conduct.

Lloyd Henderson, president of the Camden County East NAACP, heard of the leafleting Saturday while attending the annual NAACP convention in Princeton. In a phone interview from the conference, which continues through Sunday, he called the material "hateful and poison" and blamed the Trump presidency.

"It has to point to the administration that's in Washington and the climate that has been permitted to be out there," Henderson said. "Now it's a badge of honor to be a racist."

At least one of the leaflets was similar to those distributed to homes in Hatboro, Montgomery County, in May.

>> READ MORE: KKK literature with candy hearts thrown onto Hatboro lawns

Anyone with information is urged to call the Cherry Hill Police Department at 856-488-7828. Tips may also be submitted anonymously at tips@cherryhillpolice.com or http://cherryhill-nj.com/forms.aspx?FID=84.